Aveiro

This questionnaire was developed within the scope of the NBSINFRA project. Its aim was to gather information about the knowledge and perception of the residents of Aveiro regarding the environmental and social challenges the city faces. The goal was to engage the population in identifying priority intervention areas, promote awareness about Nature-Based Solutions (NBS), and collect suggestions to improve Aveiro’s preparedness and resilience in the face of these challenges.

The questions in the final section refer to the NBSINFRA project study area – Ribeira de Vilar. The results obtained supported the planning and implementation of solutions that address the needs and expectations of the population.

The categorization and diagnosis of the case study involved several key analyses, which provided a comprehensive understanding of the watershed’s dynamics, forming the foundation for developing NBS.

Hydraulic definition
This process mapped the watershed’s boundaries, main and secondary watercourses, and urbanized areas along the riverbanks. Cartographic and land use analysis identified key structures and areas needing intervention.

Rainfall Analysis and Land Use

The rainfall analysis examined precipitation data and watershed permeability. Since 2001, the highest recorded rainfall was equivalent to 36 Olympic-sized pools in an hour. Land use trends over the past decade show significant urbanization, reducing agricultural areas and increasing impermeability, which affects water flow and heightens flood risks.

The watershed morphology was analyzed using topographic surveys and digital terrain modelling. The study revealed variations in riverbank positions over time, channel modifications, and bank erosion. The longitudinal profile showed areas of higher flow velocity and increased flood risk, particularly in flatter sections downstream.

Flood Flow Estimation

Hydrological modelling with HEC-HMS simulated basin behaviour using meteorological and geographical data. Statistical kinematic methods estimated flood flows of 18.2 m³/s for a 10-year return period and 28.6 m³/s for a 100-year return period. Additional topographic surveys improved model accuracy, refining watershed representation and enhancing flood predictions.

Hazards analysis

The study area faces multiple hazards, some of which were increased due to altered flow patterns, upstream channelization, and failed stabilization efforts. Multiple hazards such as flooding risks, poor water quality, riverbank erosion, landside risks, species mapping, ecosystem degradation and deforestation.

In the previous activity (Shaping Our Urban Resilience Futures), stakeholders were invited to take part in designing the city’s resilient future by engaging with the Cartospot tool. This interactive Platform displayed the case study map and allowed participants to share their perspectives on key issues, such as environmental, social, infrastructure, and economic challenges, as well as to highlight potential opportunities related to these themes. Each contribution was marked with a pinpoint on the map, indicating the area of interest, and color-coded according to the thematic category. This activity played a crucial role in ensuring that participants’ insights and ideas were integrated into the final design of the solution. Moreover, the results served as a valuable input for the subsequent co-creation workshops.

Cartspot results:

• Cartspot Aveiro challenges
• Cartspot Aveiro opportunities

Co-creation workshops

The co-creation workshops represented the stage where all previous work was brought together and materialised. At this point, stakeholders were once again invited, this time in a face-to-face setting, to collaborate on the development of the final solution. Organised by the GeoDesign team, the workshops aimed to reach a final design that reflected the perspectives of all participants, ensuring that the proposed solution was the result of collective agreement and negotiation.

The workshops spanned two days. The participants began by reviewing and discussing the issues previously identified through the Cartospot tool. The ideas initially represented as pinpoints on the map were translated into more complex spatial elements, such as lines (e.g., potential roads) or polygons (e.g., green areas, urban areas, private or public property). These were displayed on the Geodesignhub platform, where participants were asked to accept, reject, or refine the proposals originally submitted, aligning them with their collective insights.

Participants were divided into four groups, each tasked with developing potential solutions to be considered in the final design. Every group was supported by a facilitator, who guided discussions and assisted participants in navigating the Geodesignhub platform. Working independently, the groups produced unique sets of designs for the target area. In total, 42 distinct policies and projects were created and recorded in Geodesignhub.

The outputs of this initial group work served as the foundation for the second day, which centred on negotiation. In this session, participants compared, debated, and reconciled their ideas to progress towards a shared strategy. Building on this, the following stage focused on coalition-building. Participants formed two new groups, each uniting members with overlapping interests but also differing priorities. Through this process, they worked to negotiate differences and align perspectives. By the conclusion of the workshops, two consolidated and negotiated strategies had emerged for the same target area, each offering a distinct, collectively developed set of proposals.

The next stage of the project is to integrate these results into the final solution, ensuring that both the technical perspective and the stakeholders’ views are taken into account. This will help guarantee that the final solution is as inclusive and representative as possible.